Reckoning
by Sevejar Locke
Summary: Naruto's training trip is brought to a hold as Sasuke assaults him in the middle of the night. Now, with his life hanging from a thread, with no allies and more enemies than he can count, the Kyuubi vessel must fight to survive. Currently on hold.


_Lo and behold, my fellow readers; my re-entering the Naruto fanfiction, and planning to do so with a bang. The plot, which, at this time, remains a quite fond mystery, shall be revealed sooner than later, so no worries to that part. Some info one (that would be me) would have to say, though; what I write is the law in my fic. For example, should I have a character think that Jiraya is too hot in his sexy no jutsu form, then that character, be him either Shizune or Sasuke, will have the hots for Sexy no Jutsu Jiraya. Simple as that. That is merely an example, though, and one (the people reading this sentence) should not take this seriously, believe it. Back on topic, though. There shall be cursing, lots of it, especially by Naruto's side. I intend this to be a great story, one that will be highly discussed for the years to come… Wishful thinking, but a man can hope. Just in case you are wondering, I do not follow the anime, nor watch the fillers. Possible additions or mentioning to the fillers are done due to finding one of the newly introduced characters cool, and worthy of my attention. Last but not least, I use OOCs and borrowed characters from other manga/anime, even though their presence does not outdo the main characters. Anyhow, let's get the legal part done and start this beauty._

* * *

_Legal disclaimer: I do not own Naruto; the one that does (sadly) is Masashi Kishimoto._

* * *

Picture a room, if you may. A room dark, devoid of life and unnecessary ornaments, as well as other trivial objects that define a room, such as chairs and tables. The room was dark, yet, in the occasional corner stood a candle holder, shedding the wax objects' light generously… Or at least trying to. The darkness was just not natural, with the shades seeming to swirl and crawl, lurking around until they quite literally formed the figure of a tall male person, his attire's main uniqueness concealed by a black coat decorated with the images of crimson red clouds. On his raven black hair, which was long enough to reach his shoulders but short enough to not be able to get caught in a braid, were positioned white headpieces, which served to keep the various hair pieces out of his sandy amber eyes. Around his forehead was tied the most common seen item belonging to a shinobi, an item as useful and common as a shuriken or a kunai; a forehead protector, where on it was engraved the image of a crescent moon. However, that symbol was crossed out with a large, engraved line beginning from the metal plaque's one side to the other. On his right hands middle finger was a ring made of obsidian, a ring that sported the _kanji_ for "White".

The man's gaze fell around the room, before he sighed, allowing a tired breath to leave his lips. "You are late again, _Sei_." He scolded, and the woman that opted to enter the room at the exact same moment could not help but form a smirk of cockiness.

"Sorry, got into some sort of trouble, _Byaku_… Sorry, yeah…" She said, squelching the feel of her spine shuddering as the man's amber eyed glare fell on her. The woman called Sei was about a foot shorter than Byaku, standing at an even five feet, and wore a rather similar attire to his, with some minor alterations here and there, like her own forehead protector's symbol, which was that of a cracked rock. She was blonde, with a rather unique hair style; most of her hair fell on top of her left eye, and she kept a tall braid on the tip of her skull. Her eyes were a light blue, a direct contrast to the man's. "Anyhow, that's not the point anymore, not with me being right here now, is it?"

"Of course it is," countered the man, "after all, a minor mistake and all of our plans could be blasted to oblivion as if your jutsu had done the trick again." He crossed his arms in front of his chest, and kept glaring, trying to decipher Sei's look.

She scowled in annoyance, before flicking her right wrist, dismissing the subject, as well as revealing that her hand's palm bore some sort of scar. A scar that was half open, allowing entrance to a disturbingly similar to a gaping maw hole. "Whatever. Can we get to business?"

"Yes. After all, it was only expected of you to be late." He said, and they sat on the carpet covered floor, opposite of each other, his legs crossed. She opted to recline, resting her weight on her left elbow. "Well, then, Sei… What news come of the search?" Asked Byaku.

"All's good, yeah. Itachi-kun and Kisame-chan managed to bust the fifth one down, proving that they're not complete jackasses despite their earlier performance two months ago with the nine tails incident, while Kazuzu and Hidan are still on the chase of the Nibi."

"They are?" The man scoffed, while purposefully ignoring the tender nicknames she had given Itachi and Kisame. Rumor had it that she and the shark-like man got it on occasionaly, and that was a thought that not many rational beings wanted to delve in. "Tch, I thought that with their expertise, these two would have got it down by now."

"So did I, yeah." She told him, her lips forming a cocky smirk, one that implied that maybe, just _maybe_, she could have done better than the two. "Other than that, me and the Boss are leaving tomorrow in order to go bust the Ichibi." She said, her smirk turning into a grin as she saw the man nod in approvement.

"Very good. Finally, some proficiency in this group."

She laughed. "True, with most of the groups bickering, our quality seems to have fallen, yeah. Anything else you want to know, Kagemaro-san?" She found herself freezing as the man called Byaku turned from amused to very angry in less time than it took her to blink. She felt paralyzed under his unnerving gaze, and she felt her larynx get squeezed as he spoke.

"No names, damn it. It is a rule as simple as breathing, and yet you fail it. I am rather dissappointed, especially if we take into account the fact that we were just talking about _proficiency…_" She was suddenly able to speak again, as he made certain that the message had been passed, "…_Deidara_."

"Har har," she mocked with a raspy breath, her hands reaching for her sore throat. "Very funny, yeah…"

"Was it really? A shame, I did not intend it to be funny. Should we try once again?" She opted not to answer, but her look of surprise, and, yes, it was right there for Kagemaro to enjoy, _terror,_ was good enough for the man dubbed Kagemaro. "Good. Now, let us continue; what about the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi?"

Still rubbing her throat, Deidara spoke with a croaky voice. "Not much, yeah. We've given up on the brat for now."

He raised an eyebrow in inquiry, and she continued. "Well… For starters, there is this guardian of his, the quite legendary Jiraya, yeah… But, rumor also has it that that traitor _Sora,_ and his precious Sharingan brat are moving against the Jinchuuriki as well."

"Oh?" Was all Kagemaro asked, falling silent after that, allowing Deidara to continue rubbing her throat until she felt alright again. "So, little Orochimaru thinks he can do whatever he wishes, huh?" Was all the man said, before he errupted in honest laughter.

"Kagemaro-san?" Asked Deidara once more, confused as to Kagemaro's radical behavior, and she was surprised to see that Kagemaro was actually grinning. "Pass this message along to _Rei, _then. Let them do as they wish, but keep an eye on them. Have Zetsu and that masked brat of his, Tobi, do it. We are not losing the Kyuubi to Itachi's little brother, not if I have anything to do with it."

She nodded, before leaning to the front, keeping her scarred hand five inches above the ground. The scar opened slowly, almost groggily, before it allowed two series of teeth and a creeping around tongue to show. Concentrating chakra to the 'mouth' in her hand, Deidara allowed her most prised jutsu to show in it's lesser form; clay seemed to form out of the mouth, taking shapes and sizes, before emerging out as a large raven. Deidara retrieved her hand and formed a smirk of amusement.

"Have you recorded Kagemaro-san's message?" Deidara asked her creation, to which it proved to have done by opening it's mouth and allowing a vaguer copy of Kagemaro's voice to echo through the room. "Good," she complimented the clay bird, "Get going."

Moving it's groggy wings, the bird took off, leaving through the door it's creator had opened, yet neglected to close. "So…" She asked the man opposite of her, "what now?"

"Now?" He asked, and she nodded in confirmation. "Now, you close the door and remove your clothes so I can show you _true art_." He said, slowly standing up and taking off his cloak, before tossing it to the floor.

Deidara chuckled. "Thought you'd never ask, yeah."

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto, loudmouth shinobi extraordinaire, allowed himself to fall on his bedroll, his exhaustion finally taking the best of him. Despite his sleepiness and fatigue, though, as well as the fact that he was sweating like a pig, as well as heaving and puffing like a man running for his life, Naruto was grinning wildly to himself.

He had done it. After two weeks of contant crying out, tiredness, frustration, pain, and having to put up with Jiraya, the worst pervert alive, as well as one of the most powerful shinobi walking the Spirit's green earth, Naruto had managed to master the latest tecnique the summoner had taught him. He felt more alive than ever, despite the fact that every single moment was that way for him, and showed it in his grin.

After perfecting the jutsu, Naruto had allowed himself to crawl back to the camp that he and the perverted hermit had made in this ancient forest, open up a cup of instant ramen, devour it, and then unpack his bedroll, onto which he dropped like a puppet with it's strings cut off. "Life's good," admitted Naruto to himself, his legs and arms spread out as he shifted in order to find the best spot for him to sleep on. He smiled at the image of a shooting star, and he could not help but make a wish.

"Just two more years, Konoha… Stay safe until then, will you?" He asked, before letting his eyes to close. He was out the second he did so.

Naruto had been gone from his homeplace one year now, and even then he could not help but be nostalgic. The blonde Kyuubi vessel could not help but wonder how his dear friends held out. Subconciously, he grinned as faces started to pass in his dreams. All the persons he had befriended, all the people he had heard praises from, all the people that would always hold a dear place in his heart.

Temari, his dearest friend's sister. He was not sure of what exactly to make of her, but he knew that, should need arise, she would stand on his side. Something about both him and Gaara being demon hosts and all… Kankuro, well… He was not really his precious person, but at least they could look up to each other these days. Gaara must had had a talk with the boy. And Gaara himself. Where to begin, and where to end? The boy was Naruto and, by that, one could extract much. Besides their easy to guess similarities (Demon vessels to members of the nine greatest bijuu ringing a bell?), as well as their own background, each boy was a possibility of what the other could have become. If he needed to be honest, Naruto rather prefered his life the way it was, compared to Gaara's, but he could not help but feel a little envy for the red haired sand wielder. Where Naruto had no one, Gaara had two siblings that loved him unconditionaly, despite the fact that most of the time they were scared shitless by him. It was true that they stirred clear whenever he was close to them, but at least they had not brought a kunai to his throat while he slept. Eh, scratch that. It was not like Gaara slept anyway.

Aburame Shino, the non talker. He did not blame the boy for being antisocial, really. Bugs did that to people, and with Shino practically living along with them, well… Even ninja bugs can corrupt friendships. He did feel like the two could get along, though. At least he did not call him an idiot back in the time. Hyuuga Hinata, the strange girl. She was timid and shy, but she worked hard. She had got in his good list the first day Naruto had seen her fight, her fingers blazing with chakra and the veins around her eyes puffing, the sign of her using her Byakuugan. He did wonder why she kept fainting around him though… Maybe she was aenemic, or whatever the hell Jiraya had called that weird disease-thingy? Inuzuka Kiba, his comrade at arms, and Akamaru. Amazing how such a loud boy could make it to ninja. He supposed it was more skills, but he did not really care; Kiba was a good person, one of the few that hanged out with him back in the time they were still kids.

Neji. The boy was cryptic and stubborn for a genius, but he had spoken clearly back in the time; "You have shown me a way out of the darkness." He had said, and his voice was so full of relief and gratitude that Naruto was at a loss of words. Neji, it seemed, was turning into a man, one that his now dead father would be proud of. Tenten was another case. While Naruto had spoken to her six times tops, she was always polite and kind to him. He had wondered what would have happened if he had asked her out once or twice, but he had never collected his guts in order to do so – Neji and Lee seemed to be way too protective and fond of their female companion in order to let her roam. Naruto formed a smirk as he imagined what sort of mayhem Neji's and Lee's possible duel for Tenten's heart would cause. Speaking of Lee, Naruto could not help but wonder how stronger the 'Fuzzy Eyebrows' would have got in just one year. Considering how Lee had been strong enough to literally toss Gaara around with only one year of furious training, the fashion-less boy should be the real deal by now. Naruto was itching with anticipation at sparring against the spandex clad boy, whose heart seemed to glow brighter than the sun sometimes.

Akimichi Chouji. The boy was a bust. From sharing those delicacies with him, to being one of the first people to share their friendships with Naruto, Chouji would always be a good person. He was also an extrordinary fighter, and that always raised you up a notch. He idly wondered what sort of improvements he had done to his skills. Yamanaka Ino, the really loud blonde and Sakura's friend. He did not really know much about her, other than the fact that she was cute when she was not trying to sever your head off, and had a really cool head switch jutsu – or something. Naruto did wonder if she and Sakura had stopped being mean to each other, but somehow he doubted it. That would be as weird as saying that Tsunade-baachan and Jiraya were more than friends, soon to be married, with Shizune and him as best men. Naruto did stir in his sleep at that last, rather disturbing thought, before the images changed, and he was allowed to reminisce again. Nara Shikamaru, the infamous genious. The boy had IQ were Naruto had stamina, and the blonde loudmouth was not ashamed to admit it. Along with his amazing – as well as rather scary – shadow skills, Shikamaru was a man that you always wanted to keep by your side.

Gai-sensei. Super eyebrows, super gross, super gay. That was Team 7's description for the man back at the time. Oh, if only they knew. Gai was powerful enough to not only kick an Akatsuki's ass, but to mutilate it. Naruto always idly wondered what would have happened if he got some lessons in Taijutsu from the weird-haircut teacher when he got back home. With luck – as well as his amazing ammounts of stamina and chakra – as well as Lee's fighting style and the gates, Naruto would be powerful enough to punch people through walls. Technically, he could do it even now, but being able to do it with no cost to him would be sooo cool. Asuma-sensei. While he was not that close an acquaintance, he was rather good with those knives of his. Other than that… Well, he was friend with Kurenai-sensei and Kakashi-sensei as well as… As well as… Did Naruto mention he also smoked a lot? Kurenai-sensei. She was also a person he did not really know himself, but at least he was aware of the fact that she had acknowledged him as the shinobi, not as the idiot, and for that he appreciated her, as well as included her in his precious persons. Kakashi-sensei. A goof, a pervert, and a lousy teacher, but a good man, as well as a better shinobi. He did wish the silver-haired Sharingan wielder had not done the mistakes he did, but Naruto did suppose it all belonged to the past now. He was not a complete loser when it came to favoritism, though; he did drop by his house to make sure he was still alive, give him a hint or tip, or the sparse "Yo".

Tsunade-baachan, his practical mother/big sister, no matter how much she did not want to admit such a relation to the boy. Naruto felt that from all the people that he had grown attached ever since he became a genin, then it would be her that came to the top of the list. She would always look after him – when she was not trying to kill him due to his tender nickname – heck, sometimes she would even talk to him face to face. He guessed that, no matter how loud or rude he was, she loved him like Temari loved Gaara. For that he was thankful. Shizune-neechan was also good to him, but she was way too loud when it came to Naruto's health. Oh well, it was not like she did it on purpose; the blonde genin _was_ rather careless when it came to his health matters after all.

Sakura-chan… His feelings of her had deteriorated some in the last year of his absence, that he knew, but at least he would always consider her a friend. Hopefully, with her medical tutelage under Tsunade, as well as her hard driven will and stubbornness, she would be able to get into his 'valuable allies' list sooner than later. Naruto stirred as his mind felt the need to remind him that all her training and fury to become stronger were due to Sasuke leaving and neither Naruto nor her sudden liking to his _Nin_-_do_.

Naruto's unconcious face frowned as his thoughts came to Sasuke and his quest for power. In the five months they were together as a team, the two had came as close as the gap in Sasuke's heart dared to close. Naruto felt that the broody Uchiha was the closest thing to a brother he had, and he was determined about it. Naruto turned sides on his sleep as he recalled their battle in the Valley of the End. Sasuke's last words, that cryptic "Nothing was meaningless, Naruto You have become my best friend. And that is why. That is why there is meaning in defeating you."

Even if Naruto's life depended on understanding these words – and it did – he could not realise what Sasuke had meant. Normally, friends did not try to kill each other, no matter the reason or state of mind each other was at the moment. Did that mean that Sasuke's brain was long gone? Naruto certainly hoped not. The Sharingan user was a good friend, despite being quite the idiot most of the time. Naruto flipped from his one side to the other with a grunt as his mind recalled the scene of Sasuke powering up the curse seal, covering his body in black markings. In the blonde's opinion, Sasuke looked really scary in that state, with his cold, arrogant smirk, Sharingan commas spinning wildly and power off the limits. He could not help but wonder who was more scary in their 'power-up' phases; Naruto while drawing power from the Kyuubi, or Sasuke with the seal thing on. Oh, the pain of Sasuke attacking him. The mental pain was bad, but the physical pain Sasuke caused him when he conjured the _Chidori_ and drove it through his lungs was just too…

Speaking of the _Chidori_, why was that chirping sound echoing through the forest clearing Naruto was taking his shut-eye at? And why, oh _why_ was the origin of the birds chirping coming steadily at him at such a quick speed? Naruto's eyes popped open as the sound came closer and closer, until it finally reached the proximity of fifty feet. The second the sound moved another ten feet, Naruto had got up, rolled away from the source and tumbled so that he was looking at the thing rushing him. The next second everything became a blur; Naruto performed the tiger seal, albeit with only his left hand, while his right one dropped at his kunai holster. The sound drove closer.

_Chirp-chirp-chirp._

The explosive notes that rigged the camp absorbed the chakra Naruto channeled in them, and without any delay, they did what they were created to do – they exploded, doing their best to kill the one who was caught up in the explosion. The sound moved even closer.

_Chirp-chirp-chirp._

The hand which held the kunai rose to meet metal, metal strong and sharp enough to impale itself in the smaller weapon; a sword. Naruto's left hand, the one which had dropped behind him in order to form the _Rasengan _and gain momentum before shooting to the front, though, struck the origin of the chirping sound as it did so. The _Chidori._

_Chirp-chirp-chirp!_

Naruto's sky blue eyes met Sasuke's Sharingan red. The dark haired boy was grinning wildly, almost insanely. "Hello, Naruto." He called to the blonde, before the force that connected the lethal jutsu together exploded, sending both of them flying away.

* * *

Jiraya was a happy man. In his late fifties, he had all a man could ever wish. Young girls, money, fame – his Icha Icha Paradise/Hell/Purgatory series was a bust, after all – as well as a status quo most people would not even dream of.

Currently, Jiraya was exploiting all three of his traits. One, he was sitting on the best couch money can buy, around five busty, juicy women, who all whispered his name in admiration and lust. Two, he was being given the best foot massage, from the _shop's _best girl, a beautiful twenty year old brunette with green eyes. The girl knew what she was doing, and the oils she was using were a killer. Maybe he would ask her to massage a little higher later on; after all, the night was all his. And, three, he was not paying a single ticket for the treatment, just because the owner was self-proclaimed to be the Icha Icha series greatest fan.

Yes, Jiraya was so happy he could be considered delirious. He passed his right arm around the girl in the bikini next to him, embracing her as he pulled her closer, making her giggle in embarassment, while he stirred his right arm to the a semi-naked girl's ass, giving it a slight, tender squeeze, and making her cry out "Jiraya-sama!" as she blushed furiously Whether it was because she was getting paid or not, one thing was certain; Jiraya would have the time of his life.

"Make it known to the world!" He called out, the oil's ethereal smell and the sake he had been consuming earlier making his voice shake a little, "If there's one thing Jiraya, the Legendary Sannin knows, that is how to please a woman!"

The girls giggled as they started hugging and pecking and rubbing. Jiraya could die tonight and not care the slightest. "Life's good," he admitted, as one of the girls passed him another round of sake. There was nothing that would make him leave this room…

Nothing? It seemed that the Sannin would have to change his statement after all.

The room which he had chosen to occupy had a very nice view to the hills, and the forest there. While he had not done this conciously, he had opted to pick that room for the view; Naruto was training somewhere in those hills and, should there be trouble, the Sannin would be able to make notice and hurry there.

So, when the explosions illuminated the dark forest, and when the chakra he had learned to associate with the Kyuubi vessel fired up a little after, Jiraya could only spit the sake he had sipped and was about to gulp down in an rather unhealthy, gross fountain. "Naruto!" He cried as he rose to his feet while wiping his mouth, making the girl giving him the massage tumble down on her rear and yelp. "Damn it, kid, I'm coming! And I swear, when this is over, I'm gonna kick your ass!" He was at the door, hopping on one leg as he tried to wear one of his sandals by the end of the statement, and was out of the door as soon as he managed to achieve the feat.

The girls could only stare at the open door, before looking at each other. Jiraya's face appeared there once more, a frown clear on his face. "Oh, once I kick his ass, I'm coming back for you, so make sure you'll have enough stamina by then!" He grinned lecherously before running at the brothel's halls, towards the exit.

What he saw as he exited the brothel was definetely the reason why Jiraya considered that specific day to be the worst he had ever experienced.

"Hello, Jiraya," greeted the Sannin's old teammated, Orochimaru, clad in his yellow-black robes, the sword of Kusanagi held in his perfectly healed arms. Orochimaru formed the infamous smirk of his, the same one he held the last two times he had fought Jiraya. "I'm afraid I cannot allow you to rush towards your disciple, comrade. My own student has unfinished business with him."

Jiraya could only only hold his hand to the front and make the chakra he gathered there swirl as he called out for "_RASENGAN!" _The street was empty, and he could not feel any foreign chakra signatures. The Sannin liked that. It meant that he could go all out at him, all the while taking the battle closer to Naruto. He guessed that he had to finish Orochimaru quickly, though. Naruto's life was at stake, especially if the Uchiha brat had tag teamed up with the four-eyed medic bitch Orochimaru used.

"Rasengan _again_, huh, Jiraya? Fine, then! Two can play the game of being straight forward." Responded Orochimaru, readying his sword against Jiraya's possible attack.

Jiraya formed a smirk of his own. "You were never _straight_, Orochimaru. Even less so in combat." He taunted, before preparing his course of action, as well as chakra, and charging forward.

Orochimaru frowned. "Touche," he admitted, before hurling the black blade against his old teammate, and forming three seals with his now healed, unhindered hands.

* * *

Naruto fell to the ground with a thud and a groan of pain, before climbing back to his feet. Groggily, he cracked his neck to one side, before looking at his rival and friend with a look of surprise.

Sasuke had changed, that much was certain. While he looked the same in most appearances, such as his hair, his clothing seemed to have undergone a complete change. Instead of the regular white and blue shorts and shirt combo, the Uchiha now wore a white, baggy shirt, opened to the front so that his torso showed, as well as black pants, also quite buggy. On the back of his shirt was the traditional Uchiha symbol, albeit smaller, not taking up the same space it used to, and on his forehead was the traditional protector, this one sporting a musical note, the mark of the Sound village. Sasuke was now more defined around the jaw, and his gaze, albeit holding hints of madness and schizophrenia, regarded Naruto with a controlled, practically regal look. It reminded the blonde of the same look the Hokage's faces on the Monument. Around the Uchiha's waist was the scabbard to a sword, the same sword the boy now held on his right hand. It was pitch black from hilt to blade, and long enough to be kept with either both or one hand with ease. It seemed keen enough to cleave through anything – the proof was Naruto's steel kunai – and it had a vague feel of resemblance to a sword Naruto had seen somewhere…

The Kusanagi. This one appeared to be a perfect replica of the one which the Orochimaru bastard had pierced Tsunade with. Clenching his fists, Naruto practically hissed his insult. "You're taking gifts from him, I see… Sasuke."

The boy in question got off the ground, dusted himself off, and smiled. "Greetings and salutations, Naruto." Called Sasuke, before performing a mocking bow. It seemed that the explosion of chakra had not affected him the slightest. With Naruto's side, which was a rather weak display of the Rasengan he normally conjured, it made sense. But on Sasuke's side? What was the catch?

Naruto then realised that he had not felt killing intent in Sasuke's attack, something that he had grown quite good at thanks to Jiraya's teachings. It was almost as if… Sasuke was testing him.

"What the hell are you talking about, you jackass? You try to kill me, and now you go all high and mighty on me? What's the deal?" Yelled Naruto, at which the Uchiha said nothing.

After a minute, though, Sasuke decided to take action as Naruto's patience reached a limit. "I was certain you would use that jutsu of yours, Naruto, despite the fact that you were exhausted and unaware. It was a test." The boy's tone was unfamiliar to Naruto. It was as if he was dead to the world, so serene and absolute, so matter of factly, that the Kyuubi vessel had to perform a double take.

"Enough games, Sasuke! What the hell do you want?" He yelled yet again, as he slid into a cautious combat stance. He winced as he did so, feeling his left knee sore. He had probably hurt it at his fall or before, and would hinder him if combat rose. Fortunately, the blasted fox in Naruto's belly saw it well to start healing the injury as soon as the blonde got ready to fight. Naruto tried to judge the Uchiha's actions, but to no avail; he was not good at such things anyway, and since Sasuke had attacked him, Naruto was definite that he was not here to either chit-chat or come back to Konoha.

Naruto's questions were answered as Sasuke revealed a small pouch, which he flinged at the blonde. "I want to kill you, obviously." His eyes fell to the pouch, which Naruto caught as soon as it reached his proximity. "Soldier pills. They will help you with your chakra." Explained Sasuke, pausing only to slid into a combat stance as well. "I don't want you to rely on the Kyuubi too much anyway. It is not good to you."

Dumbstruck, flabbergasted, with the jaw reaching the floor. Naruto could be described with these, as Sasuke started talking yet again. "You think Orochimaru would not tell me? You think Orochimaru would not explain to me how _you_," and that last word was said with such venom and hatred that Naruto could drop dead just by that, "the dead-last, was able reached such levels of power?"

Naruto blinked, before his thirst for defense came up to him with a vengeance. "What the fuck are you talking about?" He yelled incredulously. "I never over relied on the Kyuubi, you pompous idiot! If there was one thing I did not do, that was would be the one!"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Really? Then how do you explain Haku's defeat? Or that extreme chakra wave when we fought Gaara?" The sword flailed around at every word of Sasuke's, especially as he named the people Naruto and himself had fought together. "How do you explain the Valley of End, Naruto?" Sasuke accused once more, the bitterness in his voice apparent. "Well?" He pointed at Naruto with his sword, much like jabbing an accusing finger at the blonde's chest. At least, that's what it felt like.

Naruto's head fell, as he recalled all the incidents Sasuke named. "Damn it, Sasuke. How can you be envious of me living with a fucking _demon_, of all things?" He asked in a soft voice. Sasuke opted not to answer, but continue glaring.

"All my life, people hated me because of the Kyuubi, Sasuke. They treated me like fucking garbage, all because they thought I was the demon itself. And that reflected on their sons and daughters. They shunned me, and even hated me. And you stand here, accusing me of the same thing that they did. But, where they thought I was the reason the Fourth died impersonated, you think that I enjoyed the demon's influence on me." Naruto rose to look Sasuke in the eyes, and red met red as the blonde tapped in the bijuu's immense chakra. "You know what? _Go to hell_." He called, and the Uchiha in question readied himself against an attack. The blonde's grip on the pouch of soldier pills was so firm, that the pills inside were heard crumbling under the force, while they were reduced to dust.

* * *

**My turn, brat.**

* * *

It was a disturbingly quick transformation, and yet sadistically slow. Naruto's canine drew longer, sharper, ready to tear anything with meat apart. His now elongated claws bit into his palms, drawing blood as they wounded the rough flesh. It was not as soon as they did so that Naruto pulled his fist open, allowing the minor wounds to regenerate. The blonde's longer hair grew wilder, resembling something close to a lion's mane, and his whisker-like scars turned, giving Naruto a more feral look. The above changes, along with the changes Sasuke had registered upon laying eyes on Naruto after a year of training made the Uchiha gulp in regret of ever waking the demon up. With Naruto clad in a completely black outfit, similar to that of a jounin, his now longer hair, giving him a great similarity to the Fourth Hokage, as well as his fingerless gloves, forehead protector turned into long bandana, and a reddish-orange vest made of silk, Naruto looked ready to take on anyone.

And that _anyone_ just happened to be Orochimaru's latest project.

"Both me and Sakura made the promise to take Sasuke back for a man worthy of our time. You're no longer that man… Meaning, I'm gonna make you swallow these words, Sound-bitch," promised the blonde, the last touch of the Kyuubi granting him strength being the pupils of his eyes transforming into long slits.

Sasuke sighed, before raising his sword in the mockery of a samurai taking an oath. "You are welcome to try, Naruto. But you're also doomed to fail." He allowed the sword to fall, yelling "Now!" in the process.

It was then that Naruto knew what was wrong in the first place; the forest was just too quiet for a place into which took place such a high scale battle, not to mention the invocation of the Kyuubi. The blonde registered the person gliding down the air in order to drive that kunai inside his skull, and took defensive manouver.

And, as everyone in the vicinity knew, to Naruto the best defense was an offense.

The blonde turned with his hands caught up in a cross like seal, as six perfect replicas of his appeared all around him, every one of them turning to face the new threat, which appeared in the face of a girl dressed in the black chuunin/jounin uniform of the Sound village, every strand of her fire red hair caught up in a braid. She held two kunai, and she had already tossed two, no, _three_ of the lethal steel objects against the blonde. That last one was hidden in the shadow of the one in front of it, a cheap trick that ensured that the person too confident in his abilities to count and be observant in the process would be in a nasty world of trouble.

Naruto was not that person, though. Instead of blocking or parrying, all of the now seven teens opted to dodge, before five of them jumped high in the air, tackling the girl higher as they disappeared in a burst of smoke. Sasuke was still in the process of having his plan developed, as the last clone helped the real Naruto jump high, up to where the girl had been forced to leap at, and kick her in the stomach with all the force his Kyuubi driven body and momentum could give him.

The girl gasped in genuine pain and surprise, before she crossed the air, following the physics behind getting kicked in the abdomen with a force good enough to surpass gravity and crashed on a tree – or at least, that was the plan Naruto had formed.

The girl had been caught by in a web consisting of strings instead of the normal silken like material, to which Naruto rose a blonde eyebrow. "You have henchmen now, Sasuke?" He taunted, but the Uchiha did not respond, only kept staring on with his Sharingan. "I see. Well then, wait just a second, you ass. I'll be right there." He threatened, as he turned to attack the redhead, who was quick to twist out of the web and drop to the leaf covered ground.

She came upon a nasty surprise as she realised that the clone that had helped Naruto up to her level was still there, ready as ever. Not only that, but Naruto himself was also there, ready to tear her head off; the chances of her survival were getting slimmer by the second.

"Isuzu Emi," she introduced herself as she tossed her kunai at the clone, who tumbled out of the threatened area, before producing two short swords from her long sleeves. "Guardian of the West Gate. An honor to meet you, Naruto-san."

"Pleasure's all mine!" yelled the clone, before sending a haymaker at her way. A haymaker that, should it have connected, would have caused much damage, as well as a sound painful enough for the people around to wince in sympathy. The punch never came, though, as the same strings that protected the girl from falling damage tied themselves around the offending arm. The girl wasted no time in cutting the flabbergasted Naruto's neck, but she was at a loss herself when she realised that what she had cleaved was, in fact, a clone.

The string user finally revealed, Naruto leapt at the trunk upon which the person stood, ready to deliver hell. What he came upon was a beautiful woman with a bust that would make Jiraya drool and black, long enough to reach her rear, hair. She was dressed in the same outfit with Isuzu, but she had made more scandalous addition to her uniform, such as allowing more cleavage to show and no sleeves, as well as a short skirt, as opposed to pants.

While in air, Naruto pulled six shuriken from his belt pouch, three for each hand, and tossed them at the latest addition to the combatants, waiting for just a second for her to react, before forming the seals required for the Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. Six shuriken became eighteen, eighteen became fifty four, and fifty four became one hundred and sixty two shuriken, all aimed at the girl, who only tossed a smirk at Naruto with her full lips, before raising one hand in a single seal. "Hari Jisou!" She cried, and her hair grew and hardened, covering her from head to toe, as well as protecting her from the weapon assault.

"Shit," hissed Naruto, as he turned on his side in order to literally slap away a frantic attack, delivered by Isuzu and her short swords. Honestly, Naruto thought that that Underworld Guardian Spikes tecnique was unique to Jiraya's repertoire. Frankly, seeing the girl use such a trick against him, the demon vessel would have found it more comforting if she had just used a simple Kawarimi.

Speaking of which…

Isuzu was on the attack, now that Naruto found himself unable to manouver out of her reckless assault, when she managed to pierce his chest area with one of her weapons. Instantly, she twisted the blade, making certain that he would not survive, but stay alive long enough. She grinned in excitement as Naruto spat blood… And gasped and cursed when he exploded in smoke, switching himself with a log.

The Sharingan kept spinning wildly, when Sasuke gestured again.

Isuzu landed on firm ground once again, and she could not help but gasp as she felt a firm grasp on her ankles and something pull her down in the ground up to her jaw line. She was completely incapable of moving, as the ground ten feet next to her exploded upwards, revealing a grinning Naruto.

The hair covering the other girl, the one with the strings, retreated back to their regular places. "Fuuma Yoko, guardian of the North Gate." She offered, before producing the edge of a razor sharp wire. Naruto could tell that, even with the demon's chakra pumping through his inner coils, the wire would cleave him as cleanly as a hot knife would cleave through butter.

He glanced at Isuzu, and judged that she would take a while before she could break free, before leaping higher than the wire Yoko tossed at him. She had tied a kunai at the edge of the wire, making it seem like a really dangerous chained whip. Once more, he formed the cross like seal, yet the blonde called for "Tajuu Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" Hopefully, this would prove quite the aid in the battle, since he had felt that two more persons rushed at him. Naruto blinked the sweat away as everything around him was covered by replicas of himself, all of which were grinning and yelling curses and profanities at his attackers, as if they had a will of their own. And they did, as they spread around the field, ready to attack and main and kill and burn Sasuke and his cronies to the ground.

Naruto had decided that enough was _enough._

* * *

Jiraya slammed his palms on the ground, the trademark move for one of his most powerful jutsu; the Yomi Numa. The Hell Swamp. On his whim, the ground became a molten span of something disgusting and foul smelling, something that hopefully would take Orochimaru to it's depths.

It failed to do so, but at least Orochimaru had to leave his sides open as he hopped away from the tecnique's area of effect.

Jiraya smiled to himself as the kunai he had thrown managed to stab the snake master, but the confidend facial expression disappeared as Orochimaru simply reached for the offending object and pulled it out of his sides. "Please, Jiraya," he said in his raspy voice, "if you are going to fall to such a basic level, then at least aim for the head."

The Fourth's teacher did not reply, but only decided to use a stratagem that would end this quick. Jiraya had to get closer and slam a Rasengan up the pale freak's chest/gut/face, and do so quick. Both his stamina and chakra were deteriorating, and the alcohol he had consumed earlier took it's toll on his reflexes. Should this keep up with out dealing some serious damage to Orochimaru – who had apparently found a solution to have his arms restored without the aid of Tsunade. It must have been a trick of that silver haired kid's – then he would be too late to help Naruto deal a coup de grace on the youngest Sharingan user alive.

His frown deepened as a chakra signature he was _too_ familiar with and too evil to be anyone but the Kyuubi's surged through the city's perimeters. _Shit,_ he cursed, _for Naruto to use the Kyuubi, then that means that he is either pulled to his limits or in desperate need of aid._ He dared not glance at the chakra surge's direction; Orochimaru would just love to behead him on the first chance he got as it was already.

_Naruto, don't over use the fox's chakra, or we're all in deep shit. _With a deep breath, he pulled his hands together into a series of seals, and readied himself for the second round against his old rival.

"Rasengan!"

Yoko screamed in pain and raw agony as she experienced first hand what it was like to be eviscerated. The buxom woman decided that she did not like it one bit, as the sheer force tearing at her stomach exploded in a blast of sheer force and light, light enough to illuminate the clearing, as well as everything in the immediacy of the forest. The nimbus of light that surged forward was accompanied by Yoko's scream, until the blast struck one of the ancient trees that surrounded them.

Yoko's screams died down along with her, her clothes, hair and identity, all burned to the ground. Immediately, Naruto was on the next opponent, who just happened to be Sasuke. He ignored the fact that all around him his clones started bursting into smoke, one by one, courtesy of his attackers. He was just driven in slashing the boy's face. The Uchiha paid no heed to the battle cry that errupted from Naruto's lips, but rather kept on staring on without a care in the world, in a tranquil state of mind that would scare anyone else. Naruto's claws approached his face, but yet he did not move.

And then the blonde was crashed to the ground, an act of defiance caused and delivered by two boys, both clad in the now considered traditional Sound jounin uniform. The left one, who had pierced Naruto's left arm with a ninja-to at the wrist's height, gave the Kyuubi vessel a timid smile. "Seta Soujiro," he greeted casually, as if he had not pinned the blonde genin's arm to the ground. "Guard of the East Gate." The boy had chinese eyes, kept closed for whatever reason, and had an innocent smile passed along his everyday seen features. His dark hair framed his face casually.

The person to the left opened his eyes and pulled Naruto's right wrist up while stepping with all his weight on his elbow, effectively snapping the unfortunate limb like a twig. "Heya, jackass. Pitiful much?" Taunted the man, his grin that of a man psychotic. The man wore his headband protector around his left bicep, possessed wild hair – wilder than even Naruto – and pitch black eyes. His eyes seemed to sparkle with delight as he tightened his grip around the blonde genin's injured arm. "I'm Yasuo Jin, guardian of the South Gate, shithead."

Despite the two offenders on his personal space, as well as the various insults this Yasuo guy tossed at him, Naruto's attention was drawn back to Sasuke as he felt the cold tip of the sword's blade touch his forehead. Sasuke had approached him, now that the blonde was immobile, and gotten ready to deliver the finishing blow. "I told you I'm better than you, Naruto." He commented, an arrogant smirk doing very little to not twist the pale Uchiha's face into that of a monster.

"_Hey, Sasuke_…"

The leader of the new Sound Five paused at Naruto's tired tone. Perhaps a momentary pause to hear the blonde before he took his final breath would be something honorable from him? Perhaps. So, Sasuke stared at his ex-teammate, wondering what it was that the blonde wanted to say. He needed to remember this moment. Sasuke needed to remember the person who would grant him the Mangekyuu Sharingan.

Sasuke's crimson eyes widened as he realised that Naruto's body was now covered in flames. No, it was not flames, he suddenly realised, but chakra! Chakra that was powerful enough to be seen visible, without doing any harm to the blonde's body. The Uchiha then realised what sort of change he had detected in the "dead-last's" voice earlier. It was not tiredness, or defeat, but the Kyuubi's effects! Naruto wore a shit-eating grin as Soujiro and Jin were forced to hop away from the flames, gasping as the heat damaged their connecting limbs, hoping that their master would be quick enough to finish what they came to do before something really wrong happened.

"…_You don't want to see me angry." _Said Naruto, before the whole clearing around them detonated with crimson chakra powerful enough to be felt by everyone, civilian and shinobi alike, in the vicinity of ten miles.

* * *

_And there, you have it. The first chapter to my latest work. There are some things you have to know if you have reached this part, and the first one concerns the characters of this story. _

_For starters, yes, I've turned Deidara into a woman. She's gonna talk, act, and destroy things as a woman, and there's no changing it. Plus, I do think she's funnier that way. _

_Two, Kagemaro is an original OC that I made up to replace that idiotic Akatsuki that we don't know yet with the flower on his head. His jutsu/bloodline limit is unkown for now. _

_Three, the new Sound Five are: Uchiha Sasuke, who uses the canon appearance Naruto Part 2 has given him. Liked it, used it._

_Isuzu Emi is the redhead knife wielder of the manga Tenjou Tenge – like her, search her. _

_Fuuma Yoko is the Koto Princess, and she uses whatever tecnique I showed her use; it's not that she matters. Her original self appeared in the Naruto anime fillers, in the Orochimaru Castle mission. She was the bimbo that attracted Jiraya before poisoning him._

_Seta Soujiro is the known villain from Rurouni Kenshin. And, finally, Yasuo Jin is the name I made up for whoever this OC is from. While he's not gonna make many appearances outside the next two-three chapters, revealing who he is at this time would compromise a lot. Surely, it would not compromise, say, national security, but you get the point._

_Anyhow! Do a favor for me, why don't ya? Hit the 'Submit Review' button, and follow the instructions that appear on your screen. Until next chapter, fellas._


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